The symptoms and treatment of hand, foot & mouth disease in babies and children

This is a mild illness caused by a viral infection. Symptoms include mouth ulcers and spots on the hands and feet. It is most commonly found in children under the age of five, but older children and adults can also catch it.Hand, foot and mouth disease is very contagious and your baby can easily become infected from someone sneezing or coughing near him, or from contact with poo and saliva.

There are many strains of hand foot and mouth disease so it is possible to get it more than once.

The infection has nothing to do with the foot and mouth disease which affects cattle, sheep and pigs.

What are the symptoms?

Any symptoms usually appear a few days after your child has become infected. The first signs are similar to a number of other illnesses – your child may appear unwell with a fever (temperature around 38-39°C) and loss of appetite. This may be accompanied by a sore mouth which can make eating and drinking difficult.

After a day or two more specific symptoms will appear, these include:
- Red spots on the tongue and inside the mouth which turn into ulcers
- A rash of small raised, red spots on the skin of the hands and feet which may spread to the back of the legs, the bottom and the groin. These spots may turn into blister-like sores.

How is it treated?

Hand, foot and mouth disease can be uncomfortable but it isn’t a serious illness and usually clears up by itself within 7-10 days. As it is a viral infection antibiotics won’t help. There is no need to see your GP unless you are concerned about your baby’s fever, there are signs that your child is becoming dehydrated, the affected skin becomes swollen, painful and hot, or there’s any discharge of pus from the blisters.

How to ease the symptoms:

- Offer extra fluids to avoid dehydration.
- Make eating easier by offering soft foods such as mashed potatoes, soups and yoghurt.
- Give Infant paracetamol, in the correct dose for the child’s age, to relieve discomfort and bring down fever.
- Infant teething gel will help to sooth the sores in your baby’s mouth or ask the pharmacist for advice about suitable mouth gels and sprays.

If your baby goes to nursery or is in daycare it’s best to keep him at home until his fever has gone and he is able to eat and drink properly.

Is it possible to prevent?

Hand foot and mouth disease is most infectious from just before the symptoms start and is spread through close person to person contact, and contact with contaminated surfaces, so preventing it is difficult.

There are a number of things you can do which may help to stop the disease from spreading:
- Cover the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing and throw away any tissues immediately after use.
- Frequently wash hands with soap and water, especially after going to the toilet, changing nappies, coughing, sneezing and before preparing food.
- Don’t share cups, utensils, towels with infected people and wash any bedding separately.

Hand, foot, and mouth in pregnancy

If you catch hand, foot and mouth disease in your third trimester you should get advice from your GP as there is a small chance that you could pass the infection on to your baby. Babies born with the disease usually only have very mild symptoms.

If you can, avoid contact with anyone who you know has the disease and follow the prevention tips above.

The information on this website is for general information and it is not intended as, nor should it be considered as a substitute for seeing your own GP, midwife or healthcare professional. You are advised to seek professional medical advice if you have any concerns or suspect you have a medical problem.